BAE Systems Addresses Global Cyber Crime at Airshow

Attending the Farnborough Airshow this week, BAE Systems Detica is focusing on the growing international cyber threat

At Farnborough Airshow's dedicated security day, Tom Burton, Head of Cyber for Defence at BAE Systems Detica is talking about the challenges of dealing with a rapidly growing and evolving global cyber security threat.

In his address, entitled "Countering the Escalating Cyber Threat", Burton explored the variety and severity of threats that are targeting organisations globally, and called on board members to be proactive in understanding and countering cyber risk, rather than waiting to experience the material impact of a successful attack.

Speaking at Farnborough Airshow this morning, Tom Burton, Head of Cyber for Defence at BAE Systems Detica said:

“Cyber crime is evolving at an unsettling pace – the recent revelation from MI5 that state-sponsored cyber espionage cost one large British company 800m in potential revenues serves as a stark reminder of this. We are seeing a rapid and steady increase in successful attacks, with the number of compromised enterprises increasing tenfold in the last six months. The threat of cybercrime has been recognised at a national level, with the UK government reclassifying cyber security as a tier one threat and spending an additional £650m on securing the nation’s cyber defences.

“Thankfully, organisations in several sectors are now growing mindful of the threat posed, and recognising that it is impossible to prevent attacks. We’re seeing more firms reappraising their risk management strategies, and examining how to implement sophisticated measures that identify even the most advanced of attacks so that they can be managed before they have an impact.

“The challenge for these organisations is coping with the sheer number of potential incidents that are flagged to their security teams each and every day; either they drown under the number of false alarms, or accept that they are unlikely to identify the most harmful. At BAE Systems Detica, our focus is using advanced behavioural analytics to better identify the most sophisticated attacks and to rapidly qualify them as dangerous or benign. In this way, massive volumes of data can be sifted through and turned into strong evidence of real tangible threats. It is this focused intelligence that enables boards to have confidence that they are being effective in their risk management, and that they are appropriately protecting their shareholders' value.”